Leaving a metered estate - LPG to Mains

White_mercury

Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster.

I recently moved onto a metered estate and have since found that mains gas is now available in our area. The LPG price is ridiculous and their customer service is abysmal, so I didn't sign the LPG contract.

I've done quite a bit of searching on this forum and on google, but can't find this subject covered - would there be anything to stop me switching fuel to mains gas?

My boiler and hob are very old, so I have no problem with paying for a new one.

Is there anything worth bearing in mind/liabilities I haven't considered?

Thanks in advance!

MovingForwards

Just look into the cost of having mains connected to your property.

The block I am in we were the only one with gas until a new owner got connected up.

PasturesNew

Being available in the area doesn't mean "free to get". Get a price for getting it to your property (dig up the garden/road) and to an actual meter... it might be, say, £5k or more.

Until you know how much to connect will cost you can't even think about it.

White_mercury

Thanks for the tips, the estimate I've been given seems very reasonable, although I do expect some escalation in the final price (trees in odd places, etc). I'll do a bit more shopping round and keep my fingers crossed.

Do you know whether I'd have any liability for the rent/maintenance of the shared tank? I've read through the LPG supplier's proposed contract terms but there's nothing really covering the overarching metered estate, just individual usage.

G_M

Check the Deeds for your property, or the lease if it is leasehold. There may be a service charge you are tied to.


But otherwise, if you've not signed a contract with the LPG supplier you can't be charged by them.


Get onto mains gas if you can - the biggest cost will be the initial connection so get quotes for that.

White_mercury

Thanks for the tips, good point about the leasehold, I think it'd still be worthwhile even if we're still tied to the daily charge from the supplier (about 13p per day).

I have a few quotes and they're not unreasonable given the work required, so I think I'll pursue this route in the spring.